Fender Stage 160 Speaker Impedance

[TomCarlos]

Friends...

I just picked up a Fender Stage 160 Amp (with no speakers). Yes, it had soldering problems with the board. But I took care of that.

The schematic is the same as the Stage 100. It calls for a 4 ohm MN load. I guess this amp is shipped with 2 x 8 Ohm speakers (thus the 4 ohm load). But what would happen if I was to run an 8 ohm load?

I tested the amp using a single 8 Ohm Sheffield speaker and I hear a faint break up or distortion. Is this because of the load or could it be in the electronics?

I was under the impression that when it comes to Transistor Amps, the load is not that critical ( 4 vs 8 Ohms). Or is that not the case with this amp?

http://support.fender.com/schematics...atic_11x17.pdf

Thanks in advance for your replies... Tom

[Enzo]

That is the differenec between the 100w and the 160w amps - the speaker load. 160w into 4 ohms, 100w into 8 ohms. If you connect just 8 ohms to it, it will be a 100 watt amp.

Transistor amps will have a minimum impedance load specified, for example 4 ohms. Do not run a lower impedance. But you can run as high an impedance as you like. it will reduce the power output, that is about all. The amp won;t have to work as hard.

[TomCarlos]

Ok Enzo... thanks.

That is what I thought. 4 ohms gives you more power- a no brainer and an 8 ohm load will be just fine. It's not like absolute impedance matching that tube amp transformers require.

I guess the momentary confusion was with the usage of the word "Minimum." In this case, the word "minimum" means "don't you dare go lower than 4 ohms." In my mind, that means the "max load" you can have is 4 ohms, where 4 ohms is a heavier (or harder) working load than 8 ohms.

The Fender speakers that came with the amp were completely toast. It looks like I can pick up a pair of Fender - Celestions G12T-100's for less than $150. Anything else out there worth considering under that price?

Again, my appreciation for the reply.

Tom